Misery Likes Company
by Tenku Greywords
Summary: Mystery is at it's peek when a half human, half vampire/demon comes to visit Sunnydale and Buffy is enlisted to help another world, Htrae, that used to be parallel to Earth over a millenia ago.Now one of the most important battles of the Scoobi's lives wi
1. Finding Help

A.N. Please, flame constructively or no flaming. How about you just review? It'd be ever so nice..  
  
P.S: I know Spike died, but I don't want him to, so there! Nya nya!  
  
Misery Desires Company  
  
Chapter 1: Misery At Your Door  
  
In the midst of a thunderstorm feet pounded pavement desperately. Occasionally terrified eyes looked behind to check if it's pursuers were still in deed chasing close behind.  
  
They were.  
  
The figure who was obviously the prey was wearing dark clothes and strange armor. The armor was a midnight blue with silver designs of a dragon and it's flames all over it. Tacked to the large shoulder pieces by two silver clasps, one on each side, was a midnight blue cloak on the outside, but pitch black on the inside. The armor consisted of shoulder plates, a torso and breastplate, two plates on the sides attached by a black belt, and large army type boots. The clothes were a deep pitch black as well and consisted of a black long sleeve shirt that clung to the arms and hooks at the middle fingers with silver rings and then it went loose back around the rest of the body. This shirt was tucked in to a pair of baggy pants that flared out and covered most of the boots. To these pants the horizontal belt attached the side plates, and a diagonal belt witch held a sword, it to was blue and silver. It was Japanese in style and the hilt was decorated with a dragon.  
  
The person was obviously a girl and her long golden locks were held back at the nape of her neck with a simple hair tie. Fox ears sat on top of her head, the right one pierced twice and baring two silver hoops. A dark blue bandage was tied around her forehead, and her bangs were over it. Brown eyes darted around wildly at the creatures on her heals, and she ran harder, her brows knotted in worry for some reason only known to her.  
  
The creatures behind were ghastly and overall disgusting in appearance. Their skin was decaying and it was sagging off their bodies, three in total. Their eyes seemed as though they would fall out and they left slim at footprints. This slim however stunk worse than the foulest smelling skunk on the planet and it hissed and bubbled, eating away at the pavement. They had no hair and their voices were just a gurgle for every time the breathed or tried to talk a bubbly black liquid would arise and muffle it. Not to mention, they talked in a different language.  
  
"Sassssseri.ruo retsam lliw evah uoy! Kaaaaaaaaaai!!" the creatures hissed. Roughly translated it meant; 'Sasseri, our master will have you! You cannot run for long, we will hunt you down! Don't even think about going to the slayer! Kai!' The girl looked back, and in the same language she answered.  
  
"Ouy lliw reven ekat em evila! Sasseri lliw reven evah ym rewop! Eb tnelis eliv gnieg!" this too, translated, meant; 'you will never take me alive! Sasseri will never have my power! Be silent vile being!'  
  
//Just a little further// thought the girl, obviously known as Kai. She only had a little bit further to go! She could already smell the slayer known for her abilities of being able to kill demons of all sorts.  
  
She winced and looked at her side, there was a gash there that seeped blood that was obviously abnormal. It seeped a deep black blood that in the moon's pearly white light, looked like it had a touch of crimson in it.  
  
"Kaaaaaaiiiii!" the creatures hissed behind, elongating her name in their slurring breaths, the liquid hissing and bubbling down their rotting cheeks.  
  
Kai did not have to look back to know they were catching up.  
  
//A little further! Come on body, don't fail me now!// she put on an extra burst of speed as the house came in line. She knew the other two creatures called Corpses were no longer chasing her. They couldn't risk dieing together; they had to deliver their message to their lord, Sasseri.  
  
//Just one more block. come on!// Kai could almost feel the breath on her neck as she round the corner to the street that would take her to the house of legend.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Do you have a bloody five, whelp?" Spike growled, eyes narrowing at his initial target, Xander. Xander, however, only grinned, showing his white teeth.  
  
"Go fish blood sucker."  
  
"Wot? ARG!!" Spike 'fished' from their card pile, adding the new card to his hand. Dawn watched them, obviously amused as the two duked it out.  
  
Over on the couch Buffy and Giles talked about ways they could unit more slayers and finally destroy the last of the vampires that still roamed the world.  
  
Willow, however, was silently reading up more on spells, minding her own business and just being. well. Willow!  
  
"Are you two almost finished?" Dawn asked suddenly. Xander looked at her with his one eye. He grinned.  
  
"Sure, just let me beat big bad one more time and then I'll play you."  
  
"You wont win you bloody wanker!" Xander casually ignored the raving vampire who began to curse.  
  
"Got a six?" Xander asked casually, smiling triumphantly, knowing that Spike had a four. Spike stared at him, and almost in a trance, gave him the card.  
  
"Yes! Ha! In your face you evil chipped vampire!"  
  
Spike was not amused.  
  
"DIE!!!!!!" again, the two engaged in a childish battle. Dawn flopped down on the couch with a sigh; those two would never change it seemed.  
  
"And that's basically how to.." Giles trailed off and watched the two supposedly full-grown 'men' rough house on the floor. Buffy soon turned and watched, she sighed.  
  
'Knock it off! Unless you two want me to make you do the watch together, I suggest you knock it off!"  
  
Buffy was SO not someone to mess with when she was in a bad mood.  
  
Obviously.  
  
Spike and Xander sat on the couch, or Xander did. Spike just walked over to a corner far, far away from the 'whelp' as he called him.  
  
Xander then stated a game of Clue with Dawn and forgot all about the former 'big bad'. Well, technically Spike WAS still the big bad; he was just weaker cause he was chipped.  
  
Anyway, things soon quieted down, and everyone went to their 'happy places' in a way.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Kai panted heavily as she neared the house, she cleared the yard.  
  
But the corpse made its move and she luckily jumped. She spun and went crashing right through the window. She hit the ground and didn't move or get up; the corpse vanished in a swirl of hellish flames.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Bloody soddin' 'ell!" Spike exclaimed as the projectile careened through the window. Almost as soon as the body hit the floor did Buffy come with her stake already drawn; ready to kill anything if it even so much as moved a muscle.  
  
"Buffy, what's that?"  
  
"Dawn, stay back!" Buffy ordered. Spike prodded the 'creature' with his boot.  
  
"Looks dead slayer."  
  
"Mmm." came the silent words from what was thought to be the 'dead body'. Fox ears twitched and Slowly Kai got to her knees.  
  
She didn't get nay farther because a knife was place don her neck, and a stake poised before her heart.  
  
"Who are you." Buffy narrowed her eyes, and for emphasis pressed the blade a bit further.  
  
"Giles, what IS that?" Xander asked, as he too had come nearer. The man in question rubbed the bridge of his nose and cleaned his glasses quickly. He stared for a minute.  
  
"I'm not sure." he said matter-oh-factly.  
  
"Just great, bloody watches can't do a damn thing right." Spike muttered.  
  
"Well if you're so smart what is it?" Buffy asked, not looking at Spike; instead she kept her eyes firmly trained to Kai who slowly got up and raised her hands.  
  
"I will not hurt you." She said quietly.  
  
"Who are you?"  
  
"My name is Kai, I am a dragon. I am in need of your assistance slayer." And then she knelt before Buffy, lowering her head to her knee in submission.  
  
"Cool!" Dawn exclaimed.  
  
"What are you here for?" Kai raised her head.  
  
"I will explain it to you later, how about over a cup of coffee? I have traveled many restless nights to find you."  
  
"Sounds like a plan, Willow, please make something for our guest."  
  
"Sure Giles." Willow went away to work.  
  
"But Giles-"  
  
"Buffy, I do believe it's best we know more about this. creature." He smiled and Kai got to her feet.  
  
"You're hurt." Dawn said.  
  
"Oh man! I just redid this carpet!" Xander exclaimed. Kai bowed her head in apology.  
  
"I am sorry."  
  
"Coffee's ready!" Giles ignored his adoptive son's outburst and put on a smile.  
  
"Shall we?"  
  
A.N. Tell me what you all think, k? Read and review!  
  
Next time on Misery Likes Company: Kai explains the whole reason she's here, and who exactly is after he and why she's needs Buffy's help! 


	2. Explanations Are In Order

A.N. I don't own it, so please don't sue me. I need my money so I can go to the amusement park with my friends!  
  
Notes: Htrae is pronounced hi-tray  
  
Misery Likes Company  
  
Chapter 2: Explaining Your Reason  
  
"O.K., so let me get this straight. You're a half-breed demon, vampire, human thing, from a different world parallel to ours and it's called Htrae, and you're here to bring us there to fight an evil warlord called Sasseri who desires the power of the Black Dragon of which you have so he can destroy both worlds, correct?" Buffy exclaimed, pacing back and forth; contemplating this. Kai winced from where Giles was cleaning her wound.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"O.k., what!?" Xander exclaimed. He regarded Kai with his one eye skeptically.  
  
"I say she's nuts Buffy!"  
  
"I say she's cool." Dawn exclaimed.  
  
"It's like one of the books I read in school, only cooler!" Kai sighed and shivered; she now was only in a slim undershirt as she had removed her armor so her wound could be tended to.  
  
"Look, I'll explain it again." She took a big breath.  
  
"Long ago, too long ago to remember, Earth and Htrae were side by side and they orbited around each other with the moon as their balance. People could travel back and forth between them through several magic portals that were called the portals of Kami, or the portals of god. The represented fire, water, wind, the earth, metal, and the spirit.  
  
"But then a great war started when creatures from Htrae began to invade Earth. These creatures used to be humans but they had been tampered with by a force we still do not know today-  
  
'So that's how vampire came to be, correct?"  
  
"Yes, your quite right Buffy. But as I was saying, the war raged on and soon a great power known as the black dragon ended the fight by sealing most of the monsters in Htrae. However some remained on Earth and became, as you know, the first and had many off spring. Well, at the same time in Htrae an even worse war raged on because new creatures were being developed and gifted people like me were being converted and used as weapons or killed. But there was a prophecy. It said this;  
  
In the darkness, the dragon waits.  
  
To an innocent heart the dragon takes.  
  
With pure blood and corrupting heart,  
  
Everyone will die and be reborn for another start.  
  
The Dragon goddess of Destruction."  
  
"So you're this person in the prophecy? What does it have to do with me?"  
  
"Please let me fin-ow!" Kai winced as Giles messed with a tender spot.  
  
"Sorry."  
  
"It's o.k. Anyway, a powerful sorcerer, Sasseri, became leader of the dark side; The Dark Army. The few good creatures and people who remained good formed their own army and we have been fighting for many years. Sadly, our numbers have dwindled and I have done all I possibly can for my clan. But then we heard of a great slayer on Earth that was lost to us, and her memories locked away." Kai looked up grinning slightly.  
  
"That'd be you, Buffy."  
  
"That's impossible! I was born from my mother." Kai shook her head.  
  
"You were reborn slayer. Hell, you've kept being reborn since the split between Htrae and Earth!"  
  
"So the slayer's an old granny." Spike, who had been listening quietly, commented.  
  
"Shut up Spike." Giles straightened after he had finished securely tying the bandage.  
  
"That should hold until you get some stitches." Kai shivered.  
  
"That's even worse than a corpse.." she muttered. Spike smirked, his vampire abilities allowing him to pick it up.  
  
"What the bloody 'ell is a corpse?" He asked, curiosity getting the best of him.  
  
"It's a horrid creature that smells even worse than it looks." She made a face. "Sasseri sends them after me. It's what gave me the wound." She added bitterly.  
  
"I take it he annoys you." Willow smiled. Kai nodded and sipped her coffee.  
  
"He took something from me, and I plan to get it back."  
  
"What was that?' asked Dawn, obviously enthralled in this whole thing. Kai looked up and smiled bitterly.  
  
"My fiancé."  
  
"You look only thirteen! How can you be engaged?" Xander exclaimed. Even he wasn't engaged..  
  
"I'm two millennia and thirteen years old thank you very much!" She wrinkled up her nose and polished off her coffee. She stood and faltered falling to her knees holding her side.  
  
"You shouldn't be up, whelp." Spike rolled his eyes at her stupidity. Xander helped her to sit and she fingered the top half of her armor.  
  
"Guess I was careless." She slid the armor back on and attached the cape again. She looked at Buffy.  
  
"What's your answer?"  
  
"Who did he take?" Buffy asked.  
  
"Touma." Buffy pondered this for a minute and sighed.  
  
"I'll go."  
  
"Good, we leave in the morning."  
  
"Not until your better. You need all your strength form the sounds of it."  
  
"But."  
  
"Best not argue with Giles." Xander grinned.  
  
"He wont give up." Willow answered. Kai grinned.  
  
"Neither will I." She looked at Giles, and then decided otherwise.  
  
"O.k. fine. Whatever, you win! Geez, don't give me that look, reminds me of my mum." she trailed off, clenching her fist.  
  
"Well, let's all get rest then shall we? We'll discuss this further in the morning. Kai can have the couch."  
  
"Thank you Giles." Kai got up and bowed a little unsteadily.  
  
Each person went to bed that night with thoughts unyielding in their minds.  
  
A.N. Please, no flames, lol 


	3. Star Crossed Lovers

The sun peeked through the window at 5:30 that morning. Kai casually watched it. Her fangs were clearly visible and her ears twitched, listening for sound. She knew the vampire called 'Spike' was already up, and she could smell blood. It made her mouth water to think about a cup of blood again. Or to sink her teeth into flesh.

She controlled that animalistic side of herself with a quick shake of her head. She knew the vampire knew she was awake and out here. 

The blanket she had used was resting neatly on the bed, and she sighed, examining her side. With her demon like abilities it had healed mostly, so she knew they could travel, or at least make plans today. She sighed again.

_Touma… What are you doing now?_ She thought miserably.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In a dark castle a young man waited in his cell. He was covered in blood and there was little to no light. The floors were dirty and his clothes ragged. But his eyes remained bright, a deep brown, and his disheveled hair was a nice tanish brown. He was murmuring something quietly, barely audible as he hung his head between his knees, his body weighed down heavily by chains.

"Ehs…. Ehs lliw emoc rof em….. ehs lliw.." 'She… she will come for me…. She will…' was what he said. He looked out the small window that cast moonlight to his small cell.

"Kai…"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kai blinked out of her trance when the slayer, Buffy, sat next to her. She looked out the window too, at the sun that was just rising. 

"How many of us do you need?"

"Anyone powerful. I need you for the prophecy. Your friend, the spell caster…. Willow, isn't it? Well she would be a good help. Your friend, the vampire who is taunting me with the blood, he could be useful. And the older guy that I expect to be a retired watcher might come in handy too. You can ask for help from the other guy, and your sister if you want."

"No. Not Dawn."

"Fine by me, I wouldn't want her to get hurt either. Sweet kid." Both were silent a moment.

"How can you trust us so much?" Kai laughed bitterly and carefully untied the bandana. 

"Look closely." Buffy did, all she could see was a scar…. Suddenly the 'scar' opened and a purple eye peered at her.

"It is a demon eye." She stated, sitting back.

"I can see far away with it, and I can read your thoughts and intentions." Buffy was silent as she put the bandage over it again. More silence.

"What is the black dragon?"

"A thing that will destroy the world."

"Where do I come in?"

"I need a powerful person from earth to help me summon it, you wont die but I'll be possessed and if I get out of control you have to kill me and all that crap."

"How long have you been watching us?"

"For a long time now Slayer, a long, long time. You and I used to be play mates believe it or not. Before all this shit ensued we always played together on Earth and Htrae."

"Why can't a remember?"

"Your damn mother sealed you inside a pregnant woman's body before the dimension's closed and locked your memory away. In demon years you are older than me, but in human years I'd say you were only a bit older than that Spike fellow."

"Is my 'mother' still alive." Kai didn't answer for a few minutes, but finally she did.

"Yes."

"Can I see her?"

"Sure, whatever." 

"Why did other girls become slayers too?"

"Because it was the time of need, it was all the first's fault really."

"How's the wound?"

"It'll heal, much better now; just sore." Buffy seemed to nod and drank the coffee she had been holding the whole time. 

"So you're half vampire/demon and half human?"

"Yes. My mother was a human and my father was a vampire, but both of my parents had a little bit of fox demon in them." Catching Buffy's next sentence she smiled.

"You'll be surprised. Htrae is very peculiar." Suddenly a weight was tossed next to them and Dawn's anxious eyes stared up at the two.

"How old are you?"

"Old enough to be your great, great, great, etc, etc, grandmother."

"Buffy… why didn't you ever tell me about this?"

"Because even I didn't know." Dawn gave Buffy an 'I don't believe you because you've told too many lies' look and returned her attention to what to her was a fairy tale.

"What type of creatures do you have to fight?"

"The usual, dragons, ogres, trolls, wizards, flesh eating horses, monster rabbits, and- what? I'm not making this up!"

"That sounds really weird."

"Well if you think that's weird a thing you earth people called 'cars' or something tried to eat me!" there were several seconds of silence before Dawn burst into laughter and Buffy had to hide her smile behind her coffee.  

"What?"

"We build cars, you probably ran out into the street so someone almost ran you over." Kai's face reddened.

"Stupid technology."

"Don't you have any?"

"Any what?"

"Computers, television, cameras… ya know, technology!" Dawn says. Kai shakes her head.

"Hun, we still live in huts, castles with motes and labyrinths and underground caverns. But of course we do have air-pressurized vehicles. Hell, we even have horses to ride and armor to wear… swords, the good stuff." She pats her own sword with a goofy smile. Dawn giggles and then silence resumes.

"Do you drink blood?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because I'm trying to control what little control I have."

"So in other words your not aloud?"

"Yep."

"Why?"

"Because I don't want to turn into a beast."

"Spike's not a beast."

"That's because he's got good patience and control."

"No, he's just got a chip, he can't harm humans." Kai raises and eyebrow obviously amused.

"Not funny." A new voice says. Spike has been listening the whole time, leaning against the wall with a warm cup of pig's blood in his hand. Kai sighs, miserable.

"You're doing that on purpose."

"I know." Spike leers. Kai rolls her eyes.

"Maybe I should feed him to a dragon when I get home."

"What do your dragons look like?"

"They breathe fire, they're really large, some are nice some are good and their breath stinks." 

"You mentioned something about corpses last night." Giles enters the scene and Kai sighs.

"They are exactly what you think-zombies only sooo much worse." She shivers.

"I absolutely HATE those things."

"One more question." Buffy says.

"Go ahead, ask."

"When are we going to leave?"

TBC!

A.N. what do y'all think? Review and make me a happy person ^^


	4. The Traveling

Kai rolled out the map of Sunnydale. All eyes seemed to be on her as she carefully opened a pouch at her side, and took out six different colored stones. One for each of the four portals of god, as she had explained earlier.  
  
"These stones come from the places each portal is located" she raised her hand above he map and dropped the rocks. Immediately they were drawn to six different spots on the map.  
  
"That's so weird."  
  
"They're naturally drawn to the place where they originated from, I just modified them to fit the map."  
  
"So we just take our pick of which thing we want to go through, very interesting." Giles stated.  
  
"Correct, point to which one and It'll take you there immediately."  
  
"All up to you G-man." Xander grinned.  
  
"Do not call be that wretched name, Alexander." Kai suddenly froze.  
  
"I'd make your choice fast." She grabbed the hilt of the sword.  
  
"I'm getting some bad vibes."  
  
"What about Dawn?" Buffy asked immediately.  
  
"I can set up a barrier around the house, the only thing that would get through it would be Sasseri if Dawn were to invite him in." Kai said, opening another pouch and taking out a single petal from a cherry blossom.  
  
"A flower?" Willow asked.  
  
"It's from Htrae, watch." Kai pinched it between her thumb and forefinger, and then tilted it so it was facing up. Her fingers were in a sort of 'O.K.' position and she raised the blossom closer to her mouth. She took a big gulp and blew.  
  
Immediately the petal began o glow a pink light before more and more petals began to float about the room. Kai folded her hands neatly and closed her eyes.  
  
"Kaerb!" she quickly separated her hands the petals shot about, going through the walls, like they were just holograms. From outside a pink light penetrated everything and then a nearly invisible pink shield was seen from out the window a second later.  
  
"Very impressive." Giles commented, cleaning his glasses.  
  
"Ugh, warn me next time." Xander complained, wiping at his eyes.  
  
"What about the sun in your world?"  
  
"No worries, sun don't hurt vampires in our world." Kai grinned cheekily at Spike.  
  
"You were scared, ne?"  
  
"Was not."  
  
"Were too."  
  
"Was not."  
  
"Were too Poof."  
  
"Half breed."  
  
"Pi."  
  
"O.k., we get it. You two don't like each other. Can we go before Dawn wakes up?" Buffy folded her arms over her chest.  
  
"Sorry Slayer."  
  
"Sorry." Kai straightened and cleared her throat.  
  
"I say we go to the closest one, the one of fire. But I warn you the trip there is um.. how to put it.."  
  
"Like a roller coaster?" Xander offered.  
  
"Roller Coaster?" Kai said, trying the foreign words out on her tongue in utter bafflement.  
  
"We'll explain later." Kai glared at the now snickering Spike.  
  
"Yes, quite. Now, Willow, do you have your spell book?"  
  
"Yes Giles."  
  
"Then we're ready, please, do lead the way Kai." Kai grinned and extended her pointer finger.  
  
"Alright, just touch the same stone I do and shout out Fire, or Erif, kay?"  
  
"Right, let's go." Kai grinned and dramatically put her finger on the red stone.  
  
"Erif!' a blue flame surrounded her and she gave a little shout as she was drawn into the stone, and was gone.  
  
"Bloody hell!" Giles furiously cleaned his glasses. Buffy sighed, braced herself and touched the stone.  
  
"Fire!" the same blue fire surrounded her as she was slowly pulled into the stone.  
  
"Are you sure about this Giles? I have my doubts.." willow began but was cut off by Spike yelling 'Fire' and being pulled into the stone.  
  
"Go on Wills." Xander gave her two thumbs up. Willow tensed her muscles and touched the stone.  
  
"Fire!" she was engulfed in the flames and gave a little scream.  
  
"Your turn Alexander."  
  
"R-Right.." Xander gulped and touched the stone.  
  
"Fire!" He gave a small start when he was engulfed in the flames and pulls. Giles rubbed the bridge of his nose and touched the stone.  
  
"Fire!" And then he too was engulfed in flames.  
  
Around the corner a pair of eyes had been watching. Those eyes belonged to no other than Dawn herself.  
  
"I'll wait, and then I'll follow them." she said to herself and stood by the table where the map and stones were. She waited six minutes before cautiously touching the stone and shouting the word needed.  
  
As soon as she was gone, the house was enveloped in eerie quiet.  
  
*  
  
Xander groaned and opened his eyes.  
  
"Oh man, what a ride." He got up and then helped Giles up too. Spike and Buffy were standing and Willow too was just getting up. Kai was trying not to laugh at then he guessed because she was red in the face and her hand was in front of her face.  
  
"Oh god your guys' faces were priceless!" She laughed and then sobered, taking a rope from her side.  
  
"Alright, I need you all to tie yourselves to this so we don't get separated, o.k.?"  
  
A few choice words were muttered by a certain vampire, but none-the-less, they all tied themselves to the rope. Kai took the front and tpok something else form her belt, talking all the while.  
  
"I'm going to open the gateway, brace yourselves." She took more flowers from her pouch.  
  
"To frilly." Spike muttered as Kai began to spread the flowers out in a line about five feet long.  
  
"Earth!" the flowers glowed blue, "Htrae!" The flowers glowed Black. "Open to Zircon!"  
  
"Shibby!' was all that came out of Xander's mouth as a door opened, swirling a combination of black and cerulean waves. Kai turned back to them, her eyes a little narrower and fangs a little longer, now visible out of the corners of her mouth, she looked animalistic. She delicately grabbed onto the rope. And stared back at the chasm.  
  
"There is no turning back after this. Each of you must say the words, 'I am willing, let me pass' before going in. Abandon now if you can not handle it."  
  
"Pfft! I've seen scary things than this! Lead on foxy lady!" Xander grinned ruefully.  
  
"Not a soddin whelp."  
  
"Lead on." Buffy said neutrally and she heard Willow take a gasp, then looked to see her nodding, Giles just gave her a look.  
  
"But so be it, if Dawn suffers I will-"  
  
"Do not worry yourself over that slayer, my shield WILL hold! Let's go!" Kai turned to the opening. On her face, determination.  
  
'I am willing! Let me pass!" a dark black aurora enveloped her, it had blue tendrils going through it and she calmly began walking through, tugging the rest along.  
  
"I am willing, let me pass!" Buffy was surrounded in a dark blue aurora as she went through.  
  
".I am willing! Let me pass!" Willow was engulfed in a dark green, and she too stepped through.  
  
"I am willing, let me pass!" Xander did his impression of superman, and was promptly engulfed in a yellow aurora and pulled through. Spike considered going game face, but didn't and stared at the gate.  
  
"I am willing, let me pass." He growled and was engulfed in pitch black, and thrust into the void. Giles paused.  
  
"I am willing let me pass!" a regal purple enveloped him and he was thrust in the void and the door began to slowly close.  
  
All six of them soon found themselves falling through purple mist. Lightening crashed all around them and it was very moist. Suddenly, one by one, they hit the ground, which was covered in the thick moss. A thin mist covered the ground and the air pressure was a bit thinner than normal, making them wonder if they landed up on a mountain.  
  
"Did everyone make it?" Kai asked gruffly.  
  
"The Xand-man is all in one piece!" Xander called out with a grin. Several groans were heard, along with one 'bloody hell'.  
  
Slowly, all of them came together and they untied themselves. Kai grinned.  
  
"It's so dim.." Willow said, looking around. A few trees covered in moss and vines were all around them.  
  
"Welcome to Htrae, you are in Zircon!" Kai laughed ears twitching around, listening to every sound.  
  
"This is it? Was 'xpectin more out of ya.. " Kai glared at Spike.  
  
"No, this is NOT it! We are on the hill of Sardonic!" she said curtly.  
  
"Follow me if you want the real view." Slowly, she began off and they warily followed her.  
  
"How peculiar." Giles said, looking around in awe.  
  
"You haven't seen nothing yet Giles." Kai grinned and stopped at a ledge.  
  
"Have yourself a gander." Buffy was first, and soon everyone was looking in awe. The sun was about to rise on a misty land. The grass bellow was covered in dew. Small houses stood out in the distance, and then a large castle was a little ways off. Dirt roads ran like serpents over the earth and a few wagons were about.  
  
Xander whistled in appreciation.  
  
"Feels great to be home." Kai said from behind them, she sounded busy? Slowly they turned to face her, and found her rummaging through a dense part of the woods on the right side.  
  
"I know I left the damn thing around here somewhere! Ah here!" she swiftly disappeared into the brush and there was a loud rumbling. Buffy got into fighting stance and Xander got ready to defend as well. Spike automatically went game face, his nerves already on wit's end.  
  
"Be ready Buffy."  
  
"I know Giles." But suddenly a very strange machine came out. Kai waved to them from the steering wheel in the back. They could only stare at the strange machine in confusion.  
  
"What the hell is THAT?" Xander asked, eyebrows raised.  
  
"I'm.. I'm not sure Xander." Willow said unsteadily, starring at the thing as it sidled up to them. There were a few steps and the floor was polished board. It actually looked like a boat!  
  
It had two parallel sides, about 6 meters long and four meters apart. Two meters in the front started and angle and met in the middle where the point had been rounded. In the back there was some steps and then a podium with a steering wheel, for in the back there was a rudder. The bottom was also built like a boat and it curled down, making a one-foot rudder. On the side there was something painted in some ancient text or what not.  
  
They could only stare stupefied at the machine before them, for it was floating about a foot and a half off the ground!  
  
"Are you just going to gawk or are you going to get on?" Kai asked, getting a bit irritable.  
  
"Is that thing safe Giles?" Willow asked. Giles blinked and cleaned his glasses.  
  
"I am not sure, Willow. But, we have put our faith in Kai thus far, a recommend we do thus so." Giles smiled kindly at Kai who beamed and gave him two thumbs ups. She got down from the podium and opened a door, throwing down a small rope ladder. She gently helped pull Giles up and smiled.  
  
"Since you proved yourself not to be chicken you get your first choice for a seat." She pointed to the floor, which was littered with pillows in choice places.  
  
Buffy was up next, followed by Willow, Xander, and then Spike.  
  
Giles took a seat at one of the corners, Buffy by him Xander resting near the steps, willow in between the two groups, and Spike continued to be his usual broody sell so he was alone in the other corner.  
  
Kai reclaimed her place at the wheel.  
  
"Well, this is your captain, Captain K, speaking. Would you like the nice, quiet, boring, trip to the castle or would you like the one that scares the living daylights out of ogres?" Kai asked dramatically.  
  
"The nice bor-" Willow started.  
  
"Pfft! We can handle anything a wanker like you could dish out!" Spike said with a glare and a flash of his fangs. Kai's grin turned almost devilish.  
  
"Great! I hate the boring one!"  
  
"Spike!"  
  
"Wot?"  
  
Here we go!" Kai grinned and turned the machine on full, turning it around and backing up a few yards.  
  
"Hold onto your stomachs!" Willow grabbed a hold of Xander, her eyes wide.  
  
"Oh bloody hell! You're not seriously thinking of-" Kai grinned and revved the engine.  
  
"Prepare to take back your comment vamp boy!" Kai let out a whoop as she pushed it full speed and went flying over the cliff! The sensation was much like a VERY large and VERY fast roller coaster, and the aircraft when at a very fast decent.  
  
"BLOODY HELL!" Giles yelled, clutching onto the side of the aircraft, his knuckles white. Buffy's face was just priceless, Willow was screaming bloody murder, Xander was having the time of his life, and Spike was cursing up a storm. Kai was just laughing her ass off and they landed with only a considerable jarring.  
  
"What the bloody hell were you thinking?!" Giles demanded, flustered.  
  
"I wasn't thinking anything except that it would be fun to see Mr. Macho over there loosen up a bit." Kai grinned and stuck her tongue out between her fangs. Spike indignantly did the same.  
  
"Children! Can we PLEASE not argue."  
  
"I'm not a soddin child Slayer!"  
  
"Neither am I!"  
  
"QUIET!" Everyone stared at Willow, the airboat even stopped!  
  
"That's better. Kai, don't EVER do that again!" Kai just nodded, grinning.  
  
"O.k., that's enough fun I guess. Who's up for a nice boring ride?"  
  
Several hands rose.  
  
"Fine.. fine.."  
  
TBC 


End file.
